The peak of Radhošť

There is no other peak in the Beskydy Mountains that is so shrouded in mystery, myths and superstitions as Radhošť. Apparently, the ancient Celts had already used this place for offerings and it seems that Radhošť even served as a primitive observatory for monitoring the path of the sun to follow the arrival of spring and the onset of autumn.

The ancient Slavs worshiped the god ‘Radegast’ here – a pagan god of war, victory but also the god of abundance and hospitality. Slavic tribes welcomed the arrival of the spring solstice by lighting bonfires on top of the mountain. Pagan customs nearly prevented the missionaries Cyril and Methodius in erecting a cross in place of the pagan offering site.
 
Legend states that the entire ridge of Pustevny to Radhošť is riddled with tunnels and caves where people continued to go right up until the eighteenth century. In one of the caves, there is said to be an underground temple where pagan rites took place up until the Christian era.
 
What is certain is that the Chapel of Cyril and Methodius has stood at the top Radhošť from the late nineteenth century. Pilgrims who come to the chapel are welcomed by the statues of both missionaries. Views from Radhošt are impressive. You can see the Beskydy peaks, Hostýnské hills, the Jeseniky Mountains, the High Tatras Mountains and even the alpine peak of Schneeberg.
 
Most tourists and pilgrims come to the top of Radhost from Pustevny and thus pass by the statue of the god Radegast. Another beautiful trail to Radhošť leads from the mountain saddle called Pindula.

Contact

Turistické informační centrum Frenštát pod Radhoštěm
Náměstí Míru 1
744 01 Frenštát p. Radhoštěm
E-mail: ic@mufrenstat.cz
Web: http://www.frenstat.info
Tel.: +420 556 836 916